Reflecting on the Tragedy of Jonestown 30 Years Later

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published November 13, 2008 at 9:30 AM PST

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

Thirty years ago, on November 18, 1978, more than 900 people died in what became known as the Jonestown Massacre. Most of the dead were members of People Temple, a religious cult founded by Jim Jones

Tom Fudge : On November 18th, 1978, the world got news that more than 900 people committed suicide or were murdered in the South American country of Guyana. The people were members of a religious cult called Peoples Temple, lead by Jim Jones. Jones was based in San Francisco, and most of his followers were from our state.

Today we're going to mark the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre by talking with two people who know it all too well.

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Guests

Rebecca Moore, professor and chair of the Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She is also site manager for The Jonestown Institute , a scholarly resource project of SDSU.
Don Beck , retired San Diego school teacher and former member of Peoples Temple.